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Nov. 19, 2001

Charlottesville, Va. – With just three months on the job, and with just four tournaments under his belt at Viriginia, Brian Boland has already signed four of the nation’s top high school tennis players to compete at Virginia, a group that is arguably the nation’s top recruiting class.

Douglas Stewart (Malibu, Calif.), Rylan Rizza (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.), Darrin Cohen (Lafayette, Calif.) and Nick Meythaler (Owensboro, Ky.) have all signed a national letter of intent to play tennis at the University of Virginia, and will be eligible for competition in the fall of 2002.

“This is the start we were hoping to have. We arguably have the best recruiting class in the country,” Boland said. “Rylan and Douglas are both among the best 10 available recruits in the country and Nick and Darrin are not far behind. We are excited about the future of UVa tennis.”

Stewart is ranked among the top five available recruits in the United States, and 14th overall in the latest Boys’ 18’s U.S. rankings. He was ranked No. 1 in the Boys’ 14’s, and won a national championship. He also took fifth-place at the Orange Bowl in 14’s, and placed fourth in the junior Davis Cup. Stewart also had a top ten ranking in Boys’ 16’s.

Rizza is among the top ten available recruits and No. 25 overall. His earlier accomplishments include a 2000 Easter Bowl championship, a quarterfinalist at the 2000 Orange Bowl Championship and he was also the winner of the Boys’ 16’s National Clay Court Doubles. Rizza was ranked in the top 5 for Boy’s 16’s. He was also named a high school All-American and Southern California Male Player of the Year last season.

Cohen is among the top 30 best available recruits, ranked No. 56 nationally. In Boy’s 16’s, he was a Fiesta Bowl Finalist in 1999 and also captured the Maze Cup that year, where he has competed two different years. In Boys’ 18’s, Cohen was the Southern California National Open Backdraw winner last season, and was also a Northern California Sectional High School Champion. He helped his team to the state semi-finals as well. School Sport Magazine ranked him as the top high school tennis player. He had a top 30 ranking in Boys’ 16’s.

Meythaler was ranked as high as No. 10 in the country last year. He captured the Southern Championship in Boys’ 16’s singles and doubles. He was also ranked No. 1 in the south in singles and doubles. Mythaler, ranked among the top 30 best available recruits and 59th overall, also reached the quarterfinals in doubles at the Orange Bowl.

-UVa-

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